The beauty of the day can be simply overwhelming.  For an instant we are captivated by the here and now.  Reality reaches through the thoughts and issues which cloud our minds and it touches our hearts.  For a second we are snapped into the present and say to ourselves what an incredible day.  Blooms are just now opening on this white hyacinth we received from a friend.  The beauty of the flower is constantly evolving and developing.  It would be a shame not to watch and smell this miracle of life unfold,

We are the culmination of our body and soul working in unison, and as Aristotle said, “the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts.”  The body is important but we also need to feed the soul.  The beauty is just outside our door.   These beautiful Pride of Madeira were along  our walk last weekend just waiting to be found.

Walking along the beach the other day we came face to face with nature.  This incredible gift we have received from nature makes our self-created problems seem so trivial.  The political infighting could be solved if we really wanted it solved.  We have more important issues to worry about. 

We came across a drift wood sculpture.  After the storms of the last couple of weeks and high surfs, a lot of wood has washed up on the shore.  The wood has provided ample supplies for impromptu sculptors.  Their creations have given us opportunities to let our imaginations flow and offered us food for thought.

As part of the cleanup team there is a lot to manage, including the reflective jacket, the trash picker, the trash bag.  You also have to keep track of the rest of the group, and you have to be doing the pick-up.  But it is good for the soul, doing something as a group, and is also good for the planet.  The end result is bigger than the sum of the parts.

People enjoying the sunshine along the California coast after a couple of days of rain and gloom.  Far from the freezing temperatures some families are experiencing as they flee into Canada in hopes of gaining refugee status.  According to PRI (Public Radio International), most of the people arriving at the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigration Healthcare outside Toronto are from the West African nation of Nigeria.

A long lonely stretch of highway leading to the Eastern Sierras.  But what a view!  When we witness this much beauty and know it had nothing to do with a human touch it puts all our squabbles into perspective.  The world keeps turning.  We should be helping it in positive ways.

Another view of the castle and the work at Guedelon Castle near Treigny, France in the fall of 2014.  Guedelon is a work in process with construction starting in 1998 and a staff of nearly 70 people from craftsmen to architechs, to historians .  For us it was a step back in time